weirdletter:
The Folio Anthology of Horror Stories, edited by...
The Folio Anthology of Horror Stories, edited by Ramsey Campbell, The Folio Society, 2018. Cover art and internal illustrations by Corey Brickley, info: foliosociety.com.
The thrill of being terrified is a trait peculiar to the human condition and the horror genre ensures there is always more to savour. By no means a modern phenomenon, this branch of fiction enjoys a rich tradition, and the skill involved in fostering fear makes it a highly respected craft among writers. Curated exclusively for Folio by multi-award-winning British horror writer Ramsey Campbell, this new edition is a collection of superlative writing from the mid-19th century to the present day. The tales are presented chronologically, so the reader embarks upon a hair-raising journey through the evolution of the genre. This begins with ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ – one of Poe’s most terrifying stories – in which a woman is entombed alive and returns to seek vengeance. British writer M.R. James’ ‘Count Magnus’ tells the chilling tale of a travel writer who becomes fascinated by a long-dead occultist, and H. P. Lovecraft writes of a man who takes lodging in the wrong part of town – a place that may not actually exist. Stories by Shirley Jackson, Thomas Ligotti and others lead us finally to Adam Nevill’s ‘Hippocampus’ – a hyper-real and ultimately gruesome story set on a lurching abandoned cruise liner. The collection also includes ‘1408’, a chilling story penned by Stephen King. Originally written as a creative writing exercise demonstrating the classic ‘ghostly room at the inn’ premise, King pushed the boundaries of terror in his tale to such an extent that he decided to publish it. Appearing first in audio format, ‘1408’ later formed the basis of a film with the same name.
Contents:
Introduction – Ramsey Campbell
The Fall of the House of Usher (1839) – Edgar Allan Poe
The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) – Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Count Magnus (1904) – M.R. James
The White People (1904) – Arthur Machen
Ancient Lights (1912) – Algernon Blackwood
The Music of Erich Zann (1922) – H.P. Lovecraft
Smoke Ghost (1941) – Fritz Leiber
Brenda (1954) – Margaret St Clair
The Bus (1965) – Shirley Jackson
Again (1981) – Ramsey Campbell
Vastarien (1987) – Thomas Ligotti
Call Home (1991) – Dennis Etchison
1408 (2002) – Stephen King
Flowers of the Sea (2011) – Reggie Oliver
Hippocampus (2015) – Adam Nevill
